Paris: On the sidelines of the biannual conference for Consuls General, held by Morocco and supported by the Kingdom’s Embassy in France, senior officials from the Ministries of the Interior and Foreign Affairs, including the co-chairs of the Morocco-France Permanent Joint Migration Group (GMMP), held an unprecedented meeting at the Chancellery on Friday, at the invitation of the Kingdom of Morocco.
According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, a joint statement released following the meeting detailed the French delegation, which included Simon Fetet, Director of Immigration at the Ministry of the Interior and GMMP co-chairman, Mathilde Grammont, Diplomatic Advisor to the Minister of the Interior, Frédéric Rimoux, Deputy Ambassador for Migration at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and Delphine Montuelle, Head of the Removal Unit at the Directorate of Immigration.
The Moroccan delegation comprised Khalid Zerouali, Director of Migration and Border Surveillance at the Ministry of the Interior and GMMP c
o-chairman, Bouchta Fahli, Director of General Intelligence at the General Directorate for National Security, Fouad Kadmiri, Director of Consular and Social Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, and Samira Sitaïl, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to France.
The meeting primarily addressed cooperation on readmission and the prevention of departures. Both parties explored ways to enhance collaboration on consular laissez-passer (LPC), which are essential for enforcing Obligations to Leave French Territory (OQTF), as per the statement.
This gathering followed a prior meeting on October 3 in Marrakech by the GMMP, and included an exchange with the 17 Moroccan Consuls General stationed in various French cities such as Paris, Orly, and Lyon. The 2-hour session facilitated direct feedback and meaningful exchanges between Moroccan Consuls General and French representatives.
The exchange seeks to fortify the migration cooperation framework between Morocco and
France, with consular action being a pivotal element. This new procedure responds to the aspirations of HM King Mohammed VI and French President Emmanuel Macron, articulated during their State Visit to Rabat on October 28-30.
The Joint Declaration on the Reinforced Exceptional Partnership, signed by the two Heads of State on October 28, 2024, aims to establish a comprehensive migration agenda. This includes enhancing legal mobility, combating irregular immigration, and promoting readmission cooperation, based on a shared responsibility principle.
The meeting also stemmed from discussions between Minister of the Interior, Abdelouafi Laftit, and his French counterpart, Bruno Retailleau, during the French President’s visit to Rabat on October 29. Both parties expressed satisfaction with the exemplary migration cooperation, evidenced by improved readmission indicators, and commended the pivotal role of Prefects and Consuls General under the GMMP strategy.
The Moroccan delegation acknowledged France’s efforts t
o promote legal mobility, especially for students, and noted improvements in visa issuance rates. Discussions also focused on safeguarding the rights of the Moroccan diaspora in France, a key component of bilateral human, cultural, and economic relations.
The French delegation commended Morocco’s management of migratory flows and noted the ongoing improvement in cooperation. They also expressed gratitude to Morocco for hosting the meeting, which propelled the migration cooperation strategy forward. This strategy will be assessed at the next GMMP meeting, scheduled for the first quarter of 2025 in France.